Virginia Beach will continue wooing the Sacramento Kings – and worry about the state of Virginia later.

The Virginia Beach City Council voted 9-2 on Tuesday to continue negotiations on a new NBA arena, even though its request for a state subsidy has been turned down by the governor for now.

Urging council members to go forward with the project, Mayor Will Sessoms said the city should wrap up negotiations with arena developer Comcast-Spectacor and then "use our horsepower" to sell the state on a $150 million subsidy. The council's vote is nonbinding but moves the project forward.